Pivotally-Leveraged Manual Centrifugal Drive

ABSTRACT

A pivotally-leveraged manual centrifugal drive according to a preferred embodiment of the invention for use with a bowl and a basket formed to nest within the bowl, comprising: a) a housing formed to mate with the bowl; b) a rotation wheel rotatably connected to the housing, formed to mate with the basket, and having a plane of rotation; c) a handle pivotally attached to the housing and oriented to move in a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the plane of rotation of the rotation wheel; and d) gears connecting the handle to the rotation wheel. Also disclosed are an automatic clutch that engages the rotation wheel only when the handle is moved in one direction, and a braking mechanism that includes a disk having a diameter substantially smaller than the rotation wheel.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/900,367 filed Feb. 7, 2007 and entitled “Manually-Driven Centrifugal Drying Device.”

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to devices used to spin items centrifugally, and more particularly, to a pivotally-leveraged manual centrifugal drive such as for use in drying items such as leafy vegetables and other food items.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,109 to Bull and U.S. Pat. No. 5,904,090 to Lillelund et al. disclose manually-driven centrifugal drying devices that are hand-cranked by a handle that is integrated with the lid assembly and oriented for a direction of movement in a plane parallel with the lid assembly. U.S. Pat. No. 6,018,883 to Mulhauser discloses a manually-driven centrifugal drying device with a handle that is oriented for movement perpendicular to the lid assembly, but the mechanism does not provide leverage to attain rapid movement of the spinner. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0144257 to Cheng et al. discloses a manually-driven centrifugal drying device with a pull-cord drive that generates leverage but is oriented for movement not perpendicular to the lid assembly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A pivotally-leveraged manual centrifugal drive according to a preferred embodiment of the invention for use with a bowl and a basket formed to nest within the bowl comprises: a) a housing formed to mate with the bowl; b) a rotation wheel rotatably connected to the housing, formed to mate with the basket, and having a plane of rotation; c) a handle pivotally attached to the housing and oriented to move in a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the plane of rotation of the rotation wheel; and d) gears connecting the handle to the rotation wheel. The device may also include an automatic clutch that engages the rotation wheel only when the handle is moved in one direction. A further optional feature is a mechanism for decelerating the rotation wheel, which includes a disk having a diameter substantially smaller than the rotation wheel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-8 b depict an embodiment of the present invention of a pivotally-leveraged manual centrifugal drive for use with a bowl and basket nested within the bowl, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view showing the handle locked down;

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view showing the handle partly extended upwardly;

FIG. 3 is a top perspective exploded view;

FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective partial cutaway view, particularly showing the braking mechanism;

FIGS. 5A and 5B are sectional side views, respectively showing the handle in the locked-down position and in a partly-extended position;

FIG. 6 is a sectional side view, showing a bowl and a basket mated with the pivotally-leveraged manual centrifugal drive.

FIG. 7 is a top perspective exploded view (from a different angle than FIG. 3) of the “drive-train.”

FIGS. 8A and 8B are top perspective close-up views of the gears, respectively showing the clutch cog in an engaged position and an unengaged position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIGS. 1-8 b depict an embodiment of the present invention of a pivotally-leveraged manual centrifugal drive 20 for use with a bowl 86 and basket 92 nested within the bowl so as to form a manually-driven centrifugal drying device 10. As shown in FIG. 6, the pivotally-leveraged manual centrifugal drive 20 mates with a bowl 86 having solid walls and a conical protuberance 90 at its bottom, upon which the basket 92 (which is perforated and nests within the bowl 86) can spin during use. The bowl 86 may also include an annular high-friction footing 88 at its base. As manually-driven centrifugal drying devices generally including a spinning basket nested within a bowl are well-known, the present drawings and description are directed to the inventive pivotally-leveraged manual centrifugal drive 20 that spins the basket 92.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a top perspective view of the pivotally-leveraged manual centrifugal drive 20, which primarily consists of a generally flat housing 21 and a handle 24 pivotally attached to the pivotally-leveraged manual centrifugal drive 20. A locking button 30 slides forward and backward on the handle 24 and includes a protruding pin (not shown) that inserts (when the handle 24 is in the down position as shown in FIG. 1 and the button 30 is moved forward) in a corresponding notch in the abutment 94, so as to lock the handle in the down position shown in FIG. 1. In the preferred embodiment, the handle can pivot further upwardly than shown in FIG. 2, such as to approximately a 90 degree angle with the housing 21. The pivotally-leveraged manual centrifugal drive 20 also includes a brake button 26, further described below. As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 7, the handle 24 is biased toward the fully upwardly pivoted position by a spring 34. (The straight end of the spring 34 is engaged within a corresponding hole in the cylindrical opening in the end of the handle 24 while the longer, curved end is retained on a screw 40 along with a ring 42). The handle 24 pivots on a shaft 38 (which is affixed at each end within corresponding holes formed in stanchion 43 and dome 45, with a bushing 84 placed on the shaft 38 to bear the central portion of spring 34), and a spring 34 urges the handle 24 upwardly so that as soon as a user stops pushing the handle 24 downwardly towards the pivotally-leveraged manual centrifugal drive 20, the handle 24 pivots upwardly back to an extended position. Rotation wheel 58 is driven uni-directionally by manual operation of the handle 24, and its fins 100 engage the basket 92 so that it rotates within the bowl 86. (Fins 102 are adapted to engage an optional, smaller-diameter “berry basket”—not shown—that can be nested within the basket 92).

With particular reference to FIGS. 3-5B and 7, the transfer of force from manual operation of the handle 24 into the rotation wheel 58 is described. The teeth 25 at the pinion end 82 of the handle 24 (see FIGS. 5A and 5B), which are engaged with the teeth 78 of a rack 72, drive the rack 72 (which is free to slide on tracks 77 until hitting an abutment 79) in the direction away from axle 51 when the handle 24 is pushed downwardly toward the position shown in FIG. 5A. As seen in FIGS. 3 and 7, teeth 73 of the rack 72 engage (through aperture 75 in dome 45) pinion 70, which is fixedly attached to a drive wheel 68 and is stabilized on an axle 62 (which is received in a corresponding hole in the top interior of gear housing 74 such that the axle 62 can rotate within the hole). (Housing closure 60 is fixedly attached to housing 21 such as by locating pegs 106 in guide holes 96 and screws (not shown) in guides 98 and internally-threaded stanchions 104, and gear housing 74 is in turn fixedly attached to housing closure 60 such as by screws and stanchions). Thus downward and upward pivoting of the handle 24 produce forward and backward motion of the rack 72, producing resulting clockwise and counterclockwise rotation of the drive wheel 68. Clutch cog 44 clutches gear 50 only when drive wheel 68 is rotated clockwise as viewed in FIGS. 7-8B, however, because the ends of its axle are free to move within a slightly arcuate path 108 defined in housing closure 60 (and a corresponding slightly arcuate path defined in the opposing portion of the gear housing 74, the reverse outline of which is visible on the other side of gear housing 74 in FIGS. 3 and 7). Counterclockwise rotation of drive wheel 68 urges clutch cog 44 along slightly arcuate path 108 in the direction away from gear 50 and axle 51, and clockwise rotation urges it toward gear 50. As shown in FIG. 8B, when clutch cog 44 is clutching gear 50 (i.e., during clockwise rotation of the drive wheel 68 as viewed in FIGS. 7-8B), the “drive-train” shown in FIG. 7 is fully connected and produces leveraged revolution of gear 50 and rotation wheel 58 to which axle 51 is fixedly attached by endcap 56 (with a bushing 46 provided between the axle 51 and housing closure 60). As shown in FIG. 8A, when clutch cog 44 is not clutching gear 50 (i.e., during and after counterclockwise rotation of the drive wheel 68 as viewed in FIGS. 7-8B), the “drive-train” shown in FIG. 7 is not connected such that rotation wheel 58 (to which axle 51 is fixedly attached) is therefore free to spin irrespective of the motion of the rest of the drive-train and gears. Preferably for added stability (not shown), instead of a single drive gear 68, a symmetric, counter-rotating double-drive gear may be used, each having a pinion driven by teeth on opposing sides of a wider rack. One of ordinary skill also of course will recognize that a variety of other suitable mechanisms known in the art readily could be adapted as an alternative means of transferring the pivotal motion of the handle 24 into rotation of rotation wheel 58.

In a further optional feature, a brake means including a brake disk 54 can be employed to indirectly decelerate the rotation wheel 58. In the embodiment shown in the Figures, the brake disk 54 includes a high-friction tire 52 and is indirectly fixedly attached to the rotation wheel 58 (e.g., by endcap 56 screwed onto axle 51 or other suitable means such as a snap-lock). The tire 52 is slowed when the ram 64 impinges upon it. The ram 64 is biased against contact with the tire 52 by a spring 48, and is activated by manual pressure on the brake button 26. Manual pressure on the brake button 26 plunges a rod 36 downwardly against the bias of the spring 76, moving a wedge 66 downwardly. Downward movement of the wedge 66 forces the complementary wedge-shaped face on the rod 64 to drive the other end of the rod 64 into contact with the tire 52, slowing the disk 54, and thus the axle 51, and thus the rotation wheel 58.

It is noted that the majority of the parts of the described embodiment of a pivotally-leveraged manual centrifugal drive preferably can be made of plastics that are suitably hard, strong, and durable, with only limited parts (such as the axle 62, gear 50, teeth 73, screws, springs, etc.) being optionally or preferably made of metals such as steel and/or zinc.

Although the present invention has been described in detail in the context of a preferred embodiment of a pivotally-leveraged manual centrifugal drive for use with a nested basket and bowl so as to form a manually-driven centrifugal drying device, one skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous variations, modifications, and other applications are also within the scope of the present invention. Thus, the foregoing detailed description is not intended to limit the invention in any way, which is limited only by the following claims and their legal equivalents. 

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A device for use with food items, comprising: an assembly including a bowl and a lid formed to mate with the bowl, the lid defining a handle axis of rotation, the bowl defining a holding area; a handle mechanism pivotally coupled to the lid and rotatable about the handle axis of rotation; an inner member rotatable about an inner member axis of rotation to spin food items, if any, in the holding area, the inner member axis of rotation being non-parallel with and spaced apart from the handle axis of rotation; and a drive-train configured to rotate the inner member and including a slidable member, the slidable member being movable along at least a portion of the lid when the handle mechanism is rotated about the handle axis of rotation.
 22. The device of claim 21, wherein the drive-train includes a gear that rotates as the slidable member moves in response to the handle mechanism rotating about the handle axis of rotation.
 23. The device of claim 21, wherein the slidable member is movable away from the inner member axis of rotation towards an outermost periphery of the lid as the handle mechanism rotates about the handle axis of rotation.
 24. The device of claim 21, wherein at least a portion of the slidable member is positioned between a rotatable handle of the handle mechanism and the inner member as the handle rotates about the handle axis of rotation.
 25. The device of claim 21, wherein the slidable member moves along a path that is substantially parallel to a plane containing a top rim of the inner member.
 26. The device of claim 21, further comprising a gear member engageable with the slidable member such that substantially linear movement of the slidable member causes rotation of the gear member and rotation of the inner member.
 27. The device of claim 21, wherein the inner member axis of rotation passes through the handle mechanism.
 28. The device of claim 21, wherein the drive-train is configured to cause rotation of the inner member when a handle arm of the handle mechanism moves towards a position in which the handle arm is substantially parallel to the lid.
 29. The device of claim 21, wherein the slidable member is within the lid and is moveable along a substantially linear path.
 30. The device of claim 21, wherein the slidable member physically engages and causes rotation of a gear member connected to the inner member as the slidable member is moved along the gear member.
 31. The device of claim 30, wherein the slidable member comprises at least one tooth positioned to engage the gear member.
 32. The device of claim 21, wherein the inner member includes a perforated basket.
 33. A device for use with food items, comprising: an apparatus defining a holding area; a basket positioned within the apparatus and rotatable about a basket axis of rotation; a handle mechanism pivotally coupled to the apparatus and rotatable about a handle axis of rotation spaced apart from the basket axis of rotation, the handle mechanism extending from the handle axis of rotation across at least a portion of an imaginary projection of the basket taken along the basket axis of rotation such that the basket axis of rotation passes through the handle mechanism at least when the handle mechanism is in a lowered position; and a drive-train including a slidable member, the drive-train being configured to rotate the basket about the basket axis of rotation in response to the handle mechanism rotating about the handle axis of rotation to move the slidable member relative to the apparatus.
 34. The device of claim 33, wherein the slidable member reciprocates linearly when the handle mechanism is moved between a raised position and the lowered position.
 35. The device of claim 33, wherein the drive-train includes a gear mechanism including at least one spur gear that is rotatable to cause linear movement of the slidable member.
 36. The device of claim 33, wherein the slidable member is linearly movable away from the basket axis of rotation towards an outer periphery of the apparatus in response to movement of the handle mechanism.
 37. The device of claim 33, wherein the slidable member moves along a path that is substantially parallel to a plane containing a top rim of the basket.
 38. The device of claim 33, wherein the handle mechanism extends across at least most of the imaginary projection of the basket.
 39. The device of claim 33, further comprising a gear member engageable with the slidable member such that substantially linear movement of the slidable member causes rotation of the gear member and rotation of the basket.
 40. A device for use with food items, comprising: a handle having a first end and an opposing second end; an assembly including a bowl and a lid formed to mate with the bowl, the lid being configured to be removably coupled to the bowl, the bowl defining a holding area, the first end of the handle being rotatable about a handle axis of rotation, wherein at least a portion of the lid covering the holding area is positioned between the handle axis of rotation and the holding area when the lid is coupled to the bowl; an inner member rotatable about an inner member axis of rotation to spin food items, if any, in the holding area, the inner member axis of rotation being non-parallel with and spaced apart from the handle axis of rotation, the lid extending outwardly away from the handle axis of rotation past the second end of the handle when the handle is in a lowered position; and a drive-train configured to rotate the inner member, the drive-train including a slidable member that moves along the lid as the handle is moved between a raised position and the lowered position.
 41. The device of claim 40, wherein the slidable member reciprocates linearly when the handle is moved between the raised position and the lowered position.
 42. The device of claim 40, wherein the slidable member is linearly movable away from the inner member axis of rotation towards a periphery of the assembly in response to movement of the handle.
 43. The device of claim 40, wherein the inner member includes a basket, and the slidable member moves along a path that is substantially parallel to a plane containing a top rim of the basket.
 44. The device of claim 40, wherein the handle extends across at least most of an imaginary projection of the inner member when the handle is in the lowered position.
 45. The device of claim 40, further comprising a gear member engageable with the slidable member such that substantially linear movement of the slidable member causes rotation of the gear member and rotation of the inner member. 